Digital Commons Network^™

Opportunities For The Primary Prevention Of Obesity During Infancy, Ian M. Paul, Cynthia J. Bartok, Danielle S. Downs, Cynthia A. Stifter, Alison K. Ventura, Leann L. Birch

Kinesiology and Public Health

Are chubby babies healthy babies? Whereas most seem well during infancy, evidence is increasing that heavier babies have a poorer long-term health trajectory than their trimmer counterparts. Data have emerged over the past 2 decades that early life growth patterns and behaviors play an important role in the etiology of obesity, yet there has been very little focus on the primary prevention of obesity during infancy by the medical, behavioral health, and public health communities. A recent report from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) highlighted the need for very early intervention when it revealed that between 2003 …

A Detailed Look At The Familial, Social, And Clinical Contexts For Children After The Identification Of Maltreatment, Lindsay M. Duty

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Allogenous Bone Graft Versus Particulate Autogenous Bone Graft To Gain Increase In Vertical And Horizontal Dimension Prior To Implant Placement. A Human Clinical Study., Elfa Gudmundsdottir

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Impacts Of Microfinance Institutions Using Guatemalan Data, James C. Brau, Shon Hiatt, Warner Woodworth

Faculty Publications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate microlending outcomes among Latin American non-governmental organizations (NGOs), specifically microfinance institutions (MFIs). While there is a growing movement of non-profit ventures channeling small loans to the poor worldwide, assessments of their impacts are lacking. Thus, field interviews with clients who had various degrees of involvement in the process of receiving microloans from MFIs were conducted over a summer in Guatemala.

Design/methodology/approach – Using a dataset of 393 clients from Guatemalan MFIs, microfinance impacts from two dimensions are examined and impacts measured along financial and social dimensions by surveying new clients, …

Modification Of Adenovirus Capsid Proteins For Gene Therapy Applications, Yizhe Tang

All ETDs from UAB

Adenovirus (Ad) is the most commonly used viral vector in gene therapy applications to date for a broad range of diseases. Although Ad-based viral vectors have many advantages in a variety of gene therapy designs, the commonly used adenoviral vectors have several key shortcomings. Those shortcomings include (1) inefficient transduction in cell types devoid of Ad’s native receptors and the incapability of gene delivery to targets behind physical barriers; (2) restricted accessibility to the central nerve system due to the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB); (3) lack of a useful strategy and platform to generate multi-functionality displaying Ad vectors …

The Effect Of Zinc On Cytokine Release And Signal Transduction In Airway Epithelial Cells, Nai-Lin Cheng

All ETDs from UAB

Zinc is an essential cation for life that is involved in numerous physiology and pathophysiology processes. Despite its wide use as a cytoprotective agent in medications, its cellular and molecular mechanisms of action have not been well established. In order to define the potential therapeutic benefit of zinc, I used several Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and non-CF human airway epithelial cell lines as models in my studies. Extracellular zinc caused release calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum though zinc-sensitive Gq-coupled receptor(s) that may subsequently modulate ion channels. In addition, zinc also exhibited anti-inflammatory effects. Zinc inhibited pro-inflammatory molecular TNFα-induced cytokine and chemokine …

Theoretical Context Of A Common Reproductive Health Behavior: Vaginal Douching Among A National Sample Of Young Adult Women, Disa Cornish

All ETDs from UAB

Current research suggests that up to 75% of American women have engaged in vaginal douching during their lives. Prevalence of the behavior is disproportionately high among minority women (especially African American) and women of low SES. Two bodies of research present conflicting results regarding the benefits or risks to reproductive health that are posed by vaginal douching, although the majority of research on this topic suggests that douching is associated with negative health outcomes. Although studies have suggested prevalence rates, behavioral correlates, and biological associations of vaginal douching, very few studies have used behavioral theory when examining the practice. The …

Shunt Failure In Children With Hydrocephalus: Impact Of Sociodemographic Predictors On Time To Medical Evaluation For Shunt Failure And The Economic Burden Associated With Shunt Failure, Chevis Nacole Shannon

All ETDs from UAB

Ventriculo-peritoneal shunts continue to be the standard surgical procedure for treating children diagnosed with hydrocephalus, regardless of etiology. The failure of these shunts can cause acute medical problems for the child requiring immediate medical care. It is known that hydrocephalus directly impacts a child's health status, educational abilities, developmental opportunities and emotional well being. An important gap in the current literature is the examination in a homogenous patient population of the impact of sociodemographic factors on the management of shunt failure and the economic burden on the family. The objective of this dissertation research study was to better understand shunt …

The Effects Of Progressive Intraubular Dentin Deposition On Bacterial Penetration Of Radicular Dentin, Shaun E. Soucie

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Stearic Acid On Breast Cancer Development And Progression, Lynda Michelle Evans

All ETDs from UAB

earate is an 18-carbon saturated fatty acid that is found in many foods in the western diet including beef and chocolate. Cell culture studies indicate stearate may have various anti-cancer properties including inhibition of cancer cell proliferation and invasion, morphological changes, and induction of apoptosis. Animal studies have found that dietary stearate delays tumor development and decreases tumor incidence. To date, many of the mechanisms underlying these processes are unclear. In this study, evidence is presented showing stearate induces morphological changes in breast cancer cells. Inhibition of de novo diacylglycerol (DAG) generation and subsequent protein kinase C (PKC) activation inhibits …

Impact Of Health Care Coverage And Other Socio-Demographic Variables On The Follow-Up Of Cervical Cancer Screening Among Colombian Women, Isabel Cristina Garces-Palacio

All ETDs from UAB

In Colombia, cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women with incidence (36.4/100,000) and mortality rates (18/100,000) much higher than those of the U.S. (7.7 and 2.3 respectively). About 70% of the Colombian population has health care coverage (HCC) through the subsidized regime (SR) which serves the poorest persons and the contributory regime (CR) which serves the working population. Our goal was to determine the role that HCC plays in cervical cancer screening follow-up among Colombian women. A population-based cross-sectional study of 24,717 women between the ages of 18 and 49, using the 2005 Demographic and Health Survey was …

Food Selection Behaviors Of Children In A Buffet Setting, Megan J. Merrill

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate food choices made by children of varying ages when a wide assortment of both healthy and unhealthy food items were available. The results were used to assess the importance of caregiver influence with regard to children's dietary intakes and to determine significant relationships between age. food preference. and relevant behavioral patterns.

Fifty children between the ages of 3 and 15 were observed in buffet-style restaurants with their caregivers. A food and beverage selection checklist was used to determine children's food selections when each food group was present and available to them, A …

The Acceptance Of Heart Healthy Food Items Among College Students, Waleed Mohammed Alrayyes

Masters Theses

This thesis project was undertaken to discover the acceptance of heart healthy food items among college students. Previous studies stated that many college students leaving home and entering college for the first time often make choices that are less healthful. The researchers suggest that this is because of adopting poor diets. As a result of consuming an unhealthy diet coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, students may increase their risk of developing a variety of diseases, such as CVD, later in life.

Data for this study were collected from a sample of 100 college students at a Midwestern University. The samples …

Impact Of Alcohol On Dietary Behaviors Of Male College Students, Cheryl Anne Rozela

Masters Theses

Research has suggested that many male students increase consumption of alcohol during their college years (Von Ah, Ebert, Ngamvitroj, Park & Kang, 2001). As alcohol consumption increases during this time many students also make less healthy dietary choices, suggesting a relationship between alcohol use and dietary patterns may be present (Adams & Rini, 2007). Although suggestive of a relationship, there is a lack of research documenting an association between alcohol use and dietary behaviors of male college students, therefore, the current study utilized a convenience sample of twenty male participants from a midwestem university and a series of five open-ended …

A Content Analysis Of Food Advertisements During Children's Tv Programming, Jillian Hurt

Masters Theses

The purpose was to determine nutritional quality of foods and marketing techniques and messages used in food ads during children's television programming. Programming was taped on 4 networks (PBS, Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for l day each, from July 8 to July 11, 2008.

One third of ads shown in 36 hours of programming were for food. Eighty-four percent of food ads promoted foods that were high in fat, saturated fat, added sugar and sodium or low in vitamins, minerals, fruits, vegetables and fiber. Animation was used in 44% and taste in 58% …

Dynamics Of Aggregation Formation In Japanese Beetles, Popillia Japonica, Katelyn A. Kowles

Masters Theses

For most insect aggregations to form, they need to be started by an initial individual (the pioneer) andjoined by later individuals (the joiners). Pioneers and joiners may differ with regard to characteristics such as sex and body size. We carried out three field experiments to examine the characteristics of Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica, pioneering and joining aggregations on host plants. Individual beetles were captured as they arrived on uninhabited grape plants, as well as plants designed to simulate aggregations with model beetles and feeding damage. For all experiments and treatments, the beetles arriving were significantly female-biased, with pioneer females having …

Are You Sirius? The Mistake Of Conditioning Approval Of The Sirius-Xm Merger On A Price Cap, Samuel J. Gordon

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

No abstract provided.

Loco Labels And Marketing Madness: Improving How Consumers Interpret Information In The American Food Economy, Margaret Sova Mccabe

Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Factors Affecting Dietary Compliance In The Adolescent With Type 1 Diabetes, Maryjean K. Bargren

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to research adult persons with type 1 diabetes and determine what factors played a role in both compliance and non-compliance of their diabetes management as an adolescent. The purpose was also to determine what factors may have caused an adolescent to be non-compliant throughout their adolescent years but who in adulthood became compliant.

Managing diabetes throughout adolescence can be difficult with many changes occurring both hormonally and socially. A medium sized hospital in the Midwest was used to obtain participants for this study. Questionnaires were distributed to patients at their medical appointments. There were …

Fiscal Transparency: Global Norms, Domestic Laws, And The Politics Of Budgets, Lisa Philipps, Miranda Stewart

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Parental Involvement And The Developmental Stages Of Writing: Knowledge And Skills To Assist Children And Parent Perceptions On Their Experience, Elena Fernandez-Kaltenbach

Theses and Dissertations

A kindergarten parent workshop series on the developmental stages of writing was created and assessed. The intended outcome was to empower parents with writing knowledge and writing skills so that they could apply this knowledge and skills at home with their child. The researcher developed the workshops from parent involvement research, developmental stages for writing, and the knowledge of adult learning. To assess the outcomes, the researcher utilized a mixed-methods qualitative approach analyzing responses from a pre and post assessment, oral discussions from videotaped sessions, researcher field notes, and parent responses to focused questions in a journal. Thirty-five Spanish-speaking parents …

Lung Cancer In A U.S. Population With Low To Moderate Arsenic Exposure, Julia Heck

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Television Portrayal Of Older People In Hong Kong : A Study Of Two Public Affairs Documentary Series, Caillie Tam

Lingnan Theses

Adopting the contextual social constructionist perspective on social problems, the present study investigates how older people are portrayed in two public affairs television documentaries in Hong Kong over a period of two decades. There were The Hong Kong Connection (produced by the public service broadcaster, Radio Television Hong Kong); and Chasing Current Affairs (produced by a commercial broadcaster, Asia Television Limited). A mixture of research designs was employed in the analysis, namely: (1) content analysis on the documentary episodes, (2) reviews of government documents and (3) in-depth interviews with social workers and the staff engaged in documentary episode productions. A …

Effects Of An Evidence-Based Intervention On Stress And Coping Of Families Of Critically Ill Trauma Patients, Sandra Knapp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Problem/Purpose: Critical care nurses are frequently exposed to the stress experienced by their patients' families, yet they often do not have the knowledge or skills to help family members cope with the stress of critical illness. While needs and stressors of families of the critically ill have been researched extensively, no prior studies have been conducted to determine the effects of an evidence-based nursing intervention for reducing family members' stress and improving their coping skills. The purpose of this study was to determine if an evidence-based nursing intervention designed to address the needs of family members would reduce stress and …

Claims Of Mistaken Identity: An Examination Of U.S. Television Food Commercials And The Adult Obesity Issue, Cristina Delgado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is one of the major public health issues in the United States, often regarded as part of a global crisis. Companies invest billions of dollars each year towards television advertising campaigns aimed at convincing audiences how their ground-breaking discovery 'battles the bulge' or somehow offers an increased health benefit. This study examined how advertisers presented health-related claims, including health and nutrient-content claims, in U.S. adult-targeted television food commercials. The claims were compared to FTC, FDA, and USDA laws, regulations, and recommendations. A content analysis of food advertising was conducted of commercials from major and cable network programs broadcast during …

The Role Of The Internet As A Tool To Aid In U.S. Adult Consumers' Weight Loss, Jaclyn Kirby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on ways the Internet can positively influence and educate U.S. Americans to become healthier and eventually lose weight. Throughout the past 30 years, the percentage of overweight and obese adults in the U.S. has increased immensely, resulting in a nationwide epidemic (American Association for Public Opinion Research, 2006; Center for Disease Control, 2006; Goodman, 2005; The Obesity Society, 2008). The research question for this thesis is the following: What are the perceptions of U.S. adult consumers regarding the positive influence the Internet has on weight loss? In order to determine the influence of the Internet on U.S. …

Perinatal Risk Factors For Developmental Coordination Disorder, Beth P. Hands, Garth Kendall, Dawne Larkin, Elizabeth Rose, Helen Parker

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

The aetiology of mild motor disability (MMD) is a complex issue and as yet is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of perinatal risk factors in a cohort of 10-year-old boys and girls with (n = 362) and without (n = 1193) MMD. Among the males with MMD there was a higher prevalence of postpartum haemorrhage, caesarean section, low birth weight and stressful first year of life. Among the females with MMD, there was a higher prevalence of essential hypertension, anaemia, and threatened pre-term. Multivariable logistic regression revealed gender (male), anaemia, threatened pre-term birth …

Determinants Of Chloroplast Gene Expression And Applications Of Chloroplast Transformation In Lactuca Sativa And Nicotiana Tabacum, Tracey Ruhlman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Genetic modification of plastids in the model plant tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) has demonstrated that numerous foreign gene products can accumulate to high levels in this setting. Plastid biotechnology is maturing to encompass the improvement of food and feed species and the production of biopharmaceutical proteins for oral delivery necessitating development of stable transplastomic edible plants. In the interest of establishing an edible platform we have investigated the use of native and foreign regulatory elements in relation to foreign gene expression in plastids. Multiple sequence alignments of intergenic regions for 20 species of angiosperm showed that despite 95% identity in the …

Go With The Flow: Examining The Effects Of Engagement Using Flow Theory And It's Relationship To Achievement And Performance, Karen Cooper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Virtual Worlds have become an attractive platform for work, play, and learning. Businesses, including the public sector and academia, are increasingly investing their time, money, and attention to understanding the value of virtual worlds as a productivity tool. For example, educators are leading the way with research in Second Life, one of the more popular virtual worlds, as a potentially powerful medium for creating and delivering instruction. Still, little is empirically known about the value of virtual worlds as viable learning platforms. This study examined the instructional potential of Second Life for creating engaging activities, and to investigate the relationship …

Tourists' Attitudes Toward The Use Of Animals In Tourist Attractions: An Empirical Investigation, Amir Shani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From time immemorial human beings have utilized animals for various needs and purposes, which led societies to debate the justification for using animals and to reflect on the way in which animals are treated. These concerns have also resulted in various contemporary studies aimed to reveal interest groups'--as well as the general publics'--views and opinions on the issues under dispute. Nevertheless, despite the considerable incorporation of animals in entertainment and leisure venues, only limited efforts have been geared towards exploring the ethical aspects of using animals in these initiatives. This lack of attention is especially evident in the tourism literature, …